Before I begin, I should ask that while fixing gameplay issues and revamping maps improves the core experience, the only thing keeping this mod from becoming a fully legal IWAD for gzdoom are enemy graphics/sounds, just to warn you, there's lots of gaps to be filled, about 7 bosses and 15 enemies and those cannot be filled with unoriginal/modified resources if we want to stay legal (which is my goal for the 2.0 version). Other than that, we are good to go, the weapons, music, textures, HUD, menu nad some other stuff are fully custom and I got the permissions to use it in an IWAD. If you want to take chances with me at creating a fully custom IWAD, go ahead, i'll appreciate it (btw gameplay-wise the mod's finished, along with the story and everything else but the enemy graphics/sounds)

Warning: You'll need your latest gzdoom svn to get this thing running, get it from http://svn.drdteam.org/gzdoom/ Or try to use latest official gzdoom which has necessary features.

Hello dear lads, this is Soulcrusher, a mod that is somewhat between a partial and total conversion for gzdoom. Final version is officially out! Get it now, don't wait, just play it when you have time, I need your feedback for the bugfixes in the future. Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/cfrt0x6l5pobh2v/SCMain.zip

Changelog:- Final boss dialogue works- Final boss was made more fair, and the secret gun ACTUALLY works on him now.- Final boss's area was redesigned to prevent some stupid bugs.- STADMIN's gameplay flow has been improved a bit- Sonic Gun no longer flashes when firing- Last two levels now contain regenerating ammo.- Fixed a bunch of visual bugs.- Sniper Rifle's been partially buffed.

If you have any issues launching the mod in gzdoom, use this kind of a commandline parameter chain: -file SCmain.wad SCMonstr.wad SCtex.wad SChud.wad SCmusic.wad

Content:- It has 9 levels, 6 bosses, should keep you busy for a bit.- There's a font bug you will notice but i have yet to find a fix for it.- It's playable from start to the end.- It's fairly balanced.

This mod won't be up on /idgames because while I can connect to it, I can't upload anything for some reason.

Maps, gameplay and various stuff was designed by meWeapon graphics/some enemy graphics/music were done by Nmn while we still worked together, actually it was his work that inspired me to start something overwhelmingly big like this.

Below's the final trailer.

Spoiler: "Screenies"

Also here have two new screenshots!

Spoiler: "New"

Enjoy!

Here's a bonus little FAQ if you are curious about the details of this mod (It's spoilered because it's lengthy)

Spoiler: "FAQ"

Q: How long has it been in works?A: If we are talking about super-early stuff then I would say the idea came to my head back in late 2007 when I was still a relative newcomer with a bunch of crap maps on /idgames however I haven't begun working on prototypes back in mid of 2008. The prototypes were how to put it... largely different from what I released here, it was just originally meant to be an average zdoom mod with Nmncorp textures and realm667 stuff all over it, simply nothing noteworthy.

The second level here, STGATE was the level in the prototypes, eventually it was made playable thus a proper prototype, the major difference is that the underground bit in STGATE was originally... fully underwater, it seemed cool at first but later on it became annoying both for me and the testers so I sorta removed that element of gameplay to keep constant flow.

It wasn't until 2009/2010 that I started working properly on this mod with Nmn while he still had time, the mod was intended to be a 7-act epic (technically this covers only 3 acts from the old concept) that would play like Strife but expand on that, make it so you can beat every level in 3 ways outside boss levels, as we know, nothing came of this concept as I wasn't able to do something this complex at the time. Still Nmn made a bunch of textures (including giving me the nmncorp3 leftovers!), the entire soundtrack, guns and some enemies but due certain life circumstances, I was forced to quit the total conversion concept.

The mod was constantly going through concept changes until mid-2011 when I more or less settled for the final concept, although there was one thing i'll mention in the next question.

Q: There's a big plothole when you leave STADMIN and begin STCITY, why is that?A: You see, originally in the final concept there were meant to be 13 levels but because Nmn could'nt maintain working on so much stuff, I had to remove half the characters from the story and unfortunately drop 4 levels that were between STADMIN and STCITY (originally known as STCITY2), that also meant removing 2 planned boss fights.

BUT! There's a chance I might take a stab at adding back the missing content starting March 2013, which may take somewhere between 6 months and 9 months depending how I will be busy at college, unfortunately I can't promise anything because I dislike failing people. Plus... having worked on this for a long time, i'm worn out entirely temporarily.

Q: Since you mentioned there were meant to be 7 acts of the entire story. Who was the real villain?A: As far as I remember it was called something like Izariat, a computer virus that was so intelligent that it was capable of manifesting itself in real life, the final fight was originally meant to be against him, he was meant to be sort of a godzilla-sized piece of junk but as we know, because of time and life constraints, this will not happen also because there are no fitting sprites for something like him anywhere.

Q: Do you plan to make a sequel filling the last 4 acts of the intended story?A: Unlikely at this point because there are lots of factors preventing me from doing this:- I am a college student, meaning starting 5th semester and ownards I will be extremely busy trying to get my IT engineer certificate.- I'm not sure if people would be able to handle a sequel that is not much different from the original due resource limitations.- I would need to use music from newgrounds because as we know, Nmn's out for good from Doom meaning chances of him composing a new soundtrack are zero.- Right now I am very tired of doom modding in general and I need a decent break before doing anything new. The only new work you can look forward to are Map15, map17, map27 and parts of Map30 on TNT2 which is bound to come out sometime.

I'm not saying no but I need time, lots of time to do anything at this point.

Thank you for reading this and watching this thread since it was invented (and thanks to those who tested it and watched me progress with it).

edit: Well, that was fun. Mostly enjoyable, no real complaints, but I do have a few nitpicks.

Spoiler:

Okay, I wasn't expecting to be dumped back at the first map like that. I knew it was only a few maps but I was kinda hoping for at least a "Congratulations you have completed the Soulcrusher demo!" screen or something.The weapons were awesome; A bit different than the usual Doom arsenal but still filling all the necessary roles. The peashooter pistol's altfire even made it still useful after obtaining the laser rifle, which is nice.The enemies were... less awesome. Ignoring the obvious Doom-recolor placeholder sprites, they certainly looked pretty cool. I liked the jumping Baron guys (the boss version was fun) and the robots that fell apart, the Heaven Guards (or whatever they're called in this) were cool, and the basic trooper dudes were, well, basic trooper dudes. Everything else was okay, although the flying Revenants were just silly. The maps seemed well-designed enough. Neat-looking details (like the pipes running overhead) without them getting in the way. Slightly confusing at times, but the objective markers on the map fixed that, no problem.I felt that there was a bit too much ammo and not enough health. A few more medpatchers sprinkled around (as in, not all in one place) would probably be a good idea.The money doesn't do anything yet, right? Anyway, whether it's meant for shopping or just a scoring system, I'm pretty sure that it shouldn't be reset to 1 after every map. Make sure you fix that if/when you decide to continue this!

Last edited by Ethril on Wed Jun 27, 2012 8:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Ethril wrote:Okay, I wasn't expecting to be dumped back at the first map like that. I knew it was only a few maps but I was kinda hoping for at least a "Congratulations you have completed the Soulcrusher demo!" screen or something. - Sorry I just released what I had without thinking, because I was frustrated with lack of motivationThe weapons were awesome; A bit different than the usual Doom arsenal but still filling all the necessary roles. The peashooter pistol's altfire even made it still useful after obtaining the laser rifle, which is nice. - Yep this is one mod where you don't get a crap pistolThe enemies were... less awesome. Ignoring the obvious Doom-recolor placeholder sprites, they certainly looked pretty cool. I liked the jumping Baron guys (the boss version was fun) and the robots that fell apart, the Heaven Guards (or whatever they're called in this) were cool, and the basic trooper dudes were, well, basic trooper dudes. Everything else was okay, although the flying Revenants were just silly. - Oh believe me, the second boss is gonna be even more fun if I ever finish the level he's in. THOUGH you can check him out in map99 in the boss room, and activate him via puke 23 in console.The maps seemed well-designed enough. Neat-looking details (like the pipes running overhead) without them getting in the way. Slightly confusing at times, but the objective markers on the map fixed that, no problem. - That's the whole idea, that I can do whatever I want layout-wise but the objective markers will always lead in the right direction.I felt that there was a bit too much ammo and not enough health. A few more medpatchers sprinkled around (as in, not all in one place) would probably be a good idea. - Yep this is one mod where you don't get a crap pistolThe money doesn't do anything yet, right? Anyway, whether it's meant for shopping or just a scoring system, I'm pretty sure that it shouldn't be reset to 1 after every map. Make sure you fix that if/when you decide to continue this! - Actually there is a shop in STGATE in the underwater base if you look around enough. Though to be honest with so much crap laying on floor, it's losing the point.

XutaWoo wrote:The scientist guy is a liar. You totally have enough firepower to deal with the pinky recolors in MAP02!

Edit: Wait what the health items go into your inventory. - Oops forgot to mention that

NO WONDER I WAS DYING SO MUCH.

Also, using a terminal completely freezes you forever, since you can't exit. - Gotcha, i'll fix it when I can.

Prison Block (3rd level between STGATE and STADMIN) is close to being complete, the layout is finally done after months of being burned out, now it's just all about implementing the gameplay in, expect a new public beta featuring this level in 2 weeks.

In meanwhile I am starting to code two new bosses which will make an appereance later on. If you haven't given this wad a try yet, feel free to do so.

Yup, a new beta is coming on August 1st, it will feature one.... no wait TWO NEW MAPS that are beatable from start to end that will require feedback from all of you. Here's two new shots for you and a small changelog right now:

Spoiler:

Changelog:

- Completed 3rd level STPRISON, it's beatable and balanced.- STCITY (5th level) is 70% done- The berserk hypo appears in all levels now, each use of the hypo will grant you permament +5% to damage resistance, thanks DavidPH for the code!

Enjay wrote:Wow! This is quite stunning. Sure it still has a few rough points but it's a WiP.

Possibly the best use of lighting effects in a GZDoom WAD.

Screenshots and videos don't do it justice, it's best played. However i'm 90% right now about gameplay and 10% about details. So i'm just keeping the basic style and looks I do, perhaps hang on until I release Beta 1 which in general will contain 5 complete levels for you to try out.

Bump, sorry but I must delay the beta to August 15. Two reasons, the second finished map isn't polished enough yet and second reason, some things require some serious overhaul including the shop system in STGATE which is broken (and would be in STCITY). So give me some time and i'll rework that.